Music in Memphis

Music in Memphis

Allen Tullos (compiler), Emory University

Music in Memphis

Allen Tullos (compiler), Emory University

Published:

Wed, 2004-03-31

Overview:

The Mid-South city built on a Mississippi River bluff, Memphis sits at the confluence of extraordinary musical streams: Anglo-Celtic upcountry songstyles, fiddle bands, and gospel harmonies mingled with Delta blues, African American congregational and quartet singing, and jazz up from New Orleans. The offspring include Memphis soul, rockabilly, rock and roll, and country.

A Century of Blues in Memphis. "Memphis' role in nurturing the blues is undeniable. In the theaters, parks, and clubs of Beale Street; in its temporary recording units and legendary studios; in its airwaves shooting across the Delta; and in the careers of those born there and those who only stopped for a while, Memphis was the half way point where the country blues of the Delta first grew accustomed to the city. And when it moved on, catching a northbound train to Chicago and beyond, the precedent of the encounter would continue to reverberate in Memphis’ equally historic contributions to jazz, gospel, rockabilly, and soul." (See: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/25/arts/search-blues-its-roots-musing-genre-s-purity-fans-flock-mississippi.html)

An audio visit with Nick Spitzer to the streets where Elvis Presley grew up: includes a stop at Wild Bill's blues club and comments from Jerry Lee Lewis (RealAudio, 8:16 minutes).rtsp://realaudio.service.emory.edu/COLLEGE/ILA/TULLOS/PUBLICRADIO/AR_0133Cab.ra

Sun Studio founder Sam Phillips talks about crafting sound as country, rhythm and blues, and gospel came together to shape rock and roll. (RealAudio, 9:45 minutes).rtsp://realaudio.service.emory.edu/COLLEGE/ILA/TULLOS/PUBLICRADIO/AR_0216SPhillips.rm

The story of Sun Records as told by founder Sam Phillips to Terry Gross of WHYY and National Public Radio's Fresh Air. (Link to RealAudio at whyy.org, 30:00 minutes).http://whyy.org/cgi-bin/FAshowretrieve.cgi?2730

Stax Records (http://staxrecords.free.fr/index.htm) is an unofficial site, run by a private fan/collector and dedicated to Stax/Volt Records, their subsidiaries, and every track that was recorded at the 926 E. McLemore studio. An illustrated history of Stax can also be found at history-of-rock.com